13 Chili Peppery Guajillo Substitute For Spicy Mexican Food

Mirasol chilies are another name for Guajillo chilies and are occasionally used interchangeably. Guajillo gets its name from the rattling sound the seeds make when shaken.

This component is used for more than just adding heat to your cuisine. The most prevalent product in which Guajillo is utilized is chili paste. Typically, guajillo chili powder is used with oregano, cumin, chipotles, and coriander.

Guajillo chile is a common ingredient in Mexican recipes. However, it might be difficult to locate and purchase in many areas. When there is no Guajillo chili available, many people look for replacements. Some of the greatest Guajillo chile replacements that you can readily get in your local grocery shop are listed below.

1. Cascabel Chilies
2. Puya Chilies
3. Chipotle Chilies
4. Mulato Chilies
5. Ancho Peppers(Poblano)
6. New Mexico Peppers
7. Pasilla Peppers

Continue reading to see how each choice works for your dish and why guajillo is often used in Mexican cuisine.

13 Best Substitute For Guajillo Chili

Guajillo peppers are categorised as pepper condiments. Dried Mirasol chilies, commonly known as Guajillo peppers, are popular in Mexican cuisine.

This pepper has a distinctive sweet, fruity, and smoky taste. These peppers also have a mild berry and tea flavor, as well as a SHU that ranges from light to medium in terms of spiciness.

If you can’t get fresh guajillo chile, use Guajillo chili powder instead.

Guajillo chili powder is mostly used in soups and salsa. As previously said, this chili powder is often found in Mexican and Southwestern cuisines.

Before using the chili powder in a recipe, rinse it with warm water. Soak the powder in a basin of water for up to 10 minutes to rehydrate it.

Then, incorporate the product into your meal. Time to cook should be at least 10 minutes. If you want to utilize the powder after rehydration, you may dice or puree it before adding it to your cuisine.

Cascabel Chilies

Cascabel peppers do not resemble Guajillo peppers in appearance. Casabels are recognized for their smaller size and rounder look, as well as their rich brownish-red coloring. In Spanish, Cascabel is also known as Little Bell.

These have a nutty and smoky taste with Scoville heat units ranging from 1,000 to 3,000. This indicates that the little bell has been somewhat heated.

Puya Chilies

In terms of look and taste profile, Puya chilies are similar to Guajillo peppers. As a consequence, they make an excellent substitute for Guajillo peppers.

These varieties are smaller than Guajillo. They are, however, significantly hotter, which may give additional flavor and heat to the meal.

Guajillo peppers are smaller and spicier than Puya peppers. Because Puya chilies have a fruity flavor, you may detect cherry and even licorice overtones while tasting them.

The heat strength of Puya chilies ranges from 5,000 to 8,000 SHU.

Chipotle Chilies

Chipotle chilies, sometimes known simply as chipotle, are ripe jalapeño chili peppers that have been dried and are widely used for flavour. Chipotle chile peppers, like Guajillo peppers, are mostly utilized in Mexican cuisine.

You should use dried and smoked chipotle chiles to prepare chipotle sauce. These have a medium to high spiciness taste with a SHU of 2,500 that may go up to 8,000, as well as an earthy and smokey flavor.

They may be used as condiments like as flakes and powder, as well as in a range of recipes such as soups, stews, and salsas that include the taste of chipotle.

Mulato Chilies

Mulatos are gentler and sweeter than Guajillo chilies, with a touch of fruit and smoke on the side. Mulato pepper is one of two dried poblano pepper cultivars that may be used in place of Guajillo peppers.

These chiles are likewise dried poblanos that have attained full maturity. One Mulato has a flat and wrinkled texture and is brownish-black in hue.

Mulato chilies may have SHU values ranging from 2,500 to 3,000. Mulato chilies are very versatile in that they come in a variety of forms such as whole chili, chili flakes, and even chili powder.

These substitutes are also used in a variety of cuisines, including soups, sauces, and as a side dish.

Mulatos have a taste that is similar to chocolate or licorice, with cherry and tobacco undertones.

Ancho peppers(Poblano)

Dried poblano peppers are referred to as anchos. Chili peppers are commonly available in this kind of chili.

This pepper is considered as a preferable alternative to Guajillo chilies and is included in the Holy Trinity of Mexican chilies. These contain more meat and are sweeter than Guajillo, with significant raisin and chocolate flavors.

Ancho peppers, on the other hand, are not as hot as Guajillo. Ancho peppers have a modest degree of spiciness, ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 SHU.

Ancho chili skin is wrinkled and has a deep red color. These are dried chili powders that are widely used in sauces like chilies and enchiladas.

New Mexico Peppers

These chilies grow to be around 12 centimeters long and may reach a height of 17 cm. Their peels are similarly a deep brownish-red hue. These chilies are not spicy since their SHU varies from 800 to 1,400 units.

These chilies have an earthy yet sweet flavor with a slight touch of dried cherries and hints of acidity. Soups, stews, salsas, and sauces served with main courses may benefit from these chilies.

Pasilla Peppers

Pasilla peppers are another name for chilaca peppers. These chilies have a visually long and thin look, as well as wrinkled skin and a delicate tinge of berries and chocolate taste.

This pepper’s skin is wrinkled and black. It is often used in sauces and is available in powdered or whole form in the United States and Mexico. They have a taste similar to Guajillo peppers.

Pasilla peppers have a delicious taste with earthy and smokey undertones. Pasilla peppers resemble Ancho peppers in appearance, but they are much less sweet.

Pasilla chili powders have a moderate heat level that may vary from 250 to 2500 Scoville heat units. They’re also fantastic with soups and stews.

California Chiles

California chilies are also said to be an excellent alternative for Guajillo peppers. These chilies are also known as dried Anaheim peppers when they have been ripened.

Anaheim chilies and even green chilies are common names for these kind of chilies. You may also use them to make soups and sauces.

They are mild chiles with a SHU rating of 500 to 2,500. These California chilis have a somewhat sweet, crisp taste with a dash of acidity.

Chili Pepper

Because Chili Pepper is widely available across the globe, you can readily locate this item in your local grocery shop. Chili peppers have the same SHU level as Guajillo peppers.

However, keep in mind that the chili peppers you purchase will have a deep and brilliant color. Their stems should have a firm but fresh feel, with no disturbances or fractures towards the stem’s end.

Chile De Arbol

Chile de Arbol, when ground, may also be used as chili powder. They often emerge in bunches and, despite their modest size, offer a rich and colorful look. Their SHU varies from 15,000 to 65,000 as well. As a result, it may greatly increase the heat in your meals.

If you are just getting started with this ingredient, use simply Chile De Arbol with 1 teaspoon Guajillo.

Gochugaru

This Korean component is often used in the preparation of kimchi. Gochugaru has the look of chili flakes and a rich and deep crimson inside its sun-dried texture. Its tastes are spicy and sweet, with a smokey undertone.

Gochugaru has the same SHU level as Jalapeno, registering 5,000 on a scale that may go up to 8,000 units.

Gochugaru may also be used as a condiment and is a 1:1 replacement for Guajillo pepper. However, if you want to make your cuisine less spicy, use a ratio of:1.

Sweet and Hot Paprika Mix

The paprika condiment is made from a variety of red peppers, and it has a pepper-like fragrance despite its sweet taste. As a result, depending on the pepper used for paprika, they may be either sweet or fiery.

If you want a sweeter, spicier, but smokey flavor in your dishes, combine hot and sweet paprika. They may also be used to make sauces and dips. These paprikas may also be substituted with Guajillo Pepper in a 1:1 ratio.

Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper, as a dry variation, may be powdered and utilized to make dishes sweeter and spicier in taste. They also have the same amount of heat as Guajillo peppers.

When using ground cayenne in lieu of Guajillo, use a 1:1 ratio to produce the required taste. These may also be used in sauces and salsas.